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Patiño-Guillén G, Pešović J, Panić M, Savić-Pavićević D, Bošković F, Keyser UF. Single-molecule RNA sizing enables quantitative analysis of alternative transcription termination. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1699. [PMID: 38402271 PMCID: PMC10894232 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45968-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription, a critical process in molecular biology, has found many applications in RNA synthesis, including mRNA vaccines and RNA therapeutics. However, current RNA characterization technologies suffer from amplification and enzymatic biases that lead to loss of native information. Here, we introduce a strategy to quantitatively study both transcription and RNA polymerase behaviour by sizing RNA with RNA nanotechnology and nanopores. To begin, we utilize T7 RNA polymerase to transcribe linear DNA lacking termination sequences. Surprisingly, we discover alternative transcription termination in the origin of replication sequence. Next, we employ circular DNA without transcription terminators to perform rolling circle transcription. This allows us to gain valuable insights into the processivity and transcription behaviour of RNA polymerase at the single-molecule level. Our work demonstrates how RNA nanotechnology and nanopores may be used in tandem for the direct and quantitative analysis of RNA transcripts. This methodology provides a promising pathway for accurate RNA structural mapping by enabling the study of full-length RNA transcripts at the single-molecule level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jovan Pešović
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Centre for Human Molecular Genetics, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marko Panić
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Centre for Human Molecular Genetics, Belgrade, Serbia
- Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dušanka Savić-Pavićević
- University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Centre for Human Molecular Genetics, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Filip Bošković
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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2
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Casmil IC, Huang C, Blakney AK. A duplex droplet digital PCR assay for absolute quantification and characterization of long self-amplifying RNA. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19050. [PMID: 37923834 PMCID: PMC10624827 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46314-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-amplifying messenger ribonucleic acid (saRNA) provides extended expression of genes of interest by encoding an alphavirus-derived RNA replicase and thus is 2-3 times larger than conventional messenger RNA. However, quality assessment of long RNA transcripts is challenging using standard techniques. Here, we utilized a multiplex droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay to assess the quality of saRNA produced from an in vitro transcription reaction and the replication kinetics in human cell lines. Using the one-step reverse transcription ddPCR, we show that an in vitro transcription generates 50-60% full-length saRNA transcripts. However, we note that the two-step reverse transcription ddPCR assay results in a 20% decrease from results obtained using the one-step and confirmed using capillary gel electrophoresis. Additionally, we provided three formulas that differ in the level of stringency and assumptions made to calculate the fraction of intact saRNA. Using ddPCR, we also showed that subgenomic transcripts of saRNA were 19-to-108-fold higher than genomic transcripts at different hours post-transfection of mammalian cells in copies. Therefore, we demonstrate that multiplex ddPCR is well suited for quality assessment of long RNA and replication kinetics of saRNA based on absolute quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irafasha C Casmil
- Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cynthia Huang
- Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Anna K Blakney
- Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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3
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Hu M, Feng C, Yuan Q, Liu C, Ge B, Sun F, Zhu X. Lantern-shaped flexible RNA origami for Smad4 mRNA delivery and growth suppression of colorectal cancer. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1307. [PMID: 36894556 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37020-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
mRNA delivery has shown high application value in the treatment of various diseases, but its effective delivery is still a major challenge at present. Herein, we propose a lantern-shaped flexible RNA origami for mRNA delivery. The origami is composed of a target mRNA scaffold and only two customized RGD-modified circular RNA staples, which can compress the mRNA into nanoscale and facilitate its endocytosis by cells. In parallel, the flexible structure of the lantern-shaped origami allows large regions of the mRNA to be exposed and translated, exhibiting a good balance between endocytosis and translation efficiency. The application of lantern-shaped flexible RNA origami in the context of the tumor suppressor gene, Smad4 in colorectal cancer models demonstrates promising potential for accurate manipulation of protein levels in in vitro and in vivo settings. This flexible origami strategy provides a competitive delivery method for mRNA-based therapies.
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4
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Parsons MF, Allan MF, Li S, Shepherd TR, Ratanalert S, Zhang K, Pullen KM, Chiu W, Rouskin S, Bathe M. 3D RNA-scaffolded wireframe origami. Nat Commun 2023; 14:382. [PMID: 36693871 PMCID: PMC9872083 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36156-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Hybrid RNA:DNA origami, in which a long RNA scaffold strand folds into a target nanostructure via thermal annealing with complementary DNA oligos, has only been explored to a limited extent despite its unique potential for biomedical delivery of mRNA, tertiary structure characterization of long RNAs, and fabrication of artificial ribozymes. Here, we investigate design principles of three-dimensional wireframe RNA-scaffolded origami rendered as polyhedra composed of dual-duplex edges. We computationally design, fabricate, and characterize tetrahedra folded from an EGFP-encoding messenger RNA and de Bruijn sequences, an octahedron folded with M13 transcript RNA, and an octahedron and pentagonal bipyramids folded with 23S ribosomal RNA, demonstrating the ability to make diverse polyhedral shapes with distinct structural and functional RNA scaffolds. We characterize secondary and tertiary structures using dimethyl sulfate mutational profiling and cryo-electron microscopy, revealing insight into both global and local, base-level structures of origami. Our top-down sequence design strategy enables the use of long RNAs as functional scaffolds for complex wireframe origami.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly F Parsons
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Matthew F Allan
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Shanshan Li
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Tyson R Shepherd
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Inscripta, Inc., Boulder, CO, 80027, USA
| | - Sakul Ratanalert
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Kaiming Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Krista M Pullen
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Wah Chiu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,CryoEM and Bioimaging Division, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Silvi Rouskin
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark Bathe
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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5
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Majikes JM, Liddle JA. Synthesizing the biochemical and semiconductor worlds: the future of nucleic acid nanotechnology. Nanoscale 2022; 14:15586-15595. [PMID: 36268635 PMCID: PMC10949957 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr04040a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Since its inception nearly 40 years ago [Kallenbach, et al., Nature, 1983, 305, 829; N. C. Seeman, J. Theoretical Biology, 1982, 99, 237], Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology (NAN) has matured and is beginning to find commercial applications. For the last 20 years, it has been suggested that NAN might be an effective replacement for parts of the semiconductor lithography or protein engineering workflows. However, in that time, these incumbent technologies have made significant advances, and our understanding of NAN's strengths and weaknesses has progressed, suggesting that the greatest opportunities in fact lie elsewhere. Given the commitment of resources necessary to bring new technologies to the market and the desire to use those resources as wisely as possible, we conduct a critical examination of where NAN may benefit from, and provide benefit to, adjacent technologies and compete least with market incumbents. While the accuracy of our conclusions may be limited by our ability to extrapolate from the current state of NAN to its future commercial success, we conclude that the next promising direction is to create a bridge between biology and semiconductor technology. We also hope to stimulate a robust conversation around this technology's capabilities with the goal of building consensus on those research and development efforts that would advance NAN to the greatest effect in real-world applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob M Majikes
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878, USA.
| | - J Alexander Liddle
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878, USA.
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6
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Afonin KA, Schultz D, Jaeger L, Gwinn E, Shapiro BA. Silver nanoclusters for RNA nanotechnology: steps towards visualization and tracking of RNA nanoparticle assemblies. Methods Mol Biol 2015; 1297:59-66. [PMID: 25895995 PMCID: PMC6345514 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2562-9_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The growing interest in designing functionalized, RNA-based nanoparticles (NPs) for applications such as cancer therapeutics requires simple, efficient assembly assays. Common methods for tracking RNA assemblies such as native polyacrylamide gels and atomic force microscopy are often time-intensive and, therefore, undesirable. Here we describe a technique for rapid analysis of RNA NP assembly stages using the formation of fluorescent silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs). This method exploits the single-stranded specificity and sequence dependence of Ag NC formation to produce unique optical readouts for each stage of RNA NP assembly, obtained readily after synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill A Afonin
- Center for Cancer Research Nanobiology Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
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7
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Jasinski DL, Khisamutdinov EF, Lyubchenko YL, Guo P. Physicochemically tunable polyfunctionalized RNA square architecture with fluorogenic and ribozymatic properties. ACS Nano 2014; 8:7620-9. [PMID: 24971772 PMCID: PMC4148160 DOI: 10.1021/nn502160s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in RNA nanotechnology allow the rational design of various nanoarchitectures. Previous methods utilized conserved angles from natural RNA motifs to form geometries with specific sizes. However, the feasibility of producing RNA architecture with variable sizes using native motifs featuring fixed sizes and angles is limited. It would be advantageous to display RNA nanoparticles of diverse shape and size derived from a given primary sequence. Here, we report an approach to construct RNA nanoparticles with tunable size and stability. Multifunctional RNA squares with a 90° angle were constructed by tuning the 60° angle of the three-way junction (3WJ) motif from the packaging RNA (pRNA) of the bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor. The physicochemical properties and size of the RNA square were also easily tuned by modulating the “core” strand and adjusting the length of the sides of the square via predictable design. Squares of 5, 10, and 20 nm were constructed, each showing diverse thermodynamic and chemical stabilities. Four “arms” extending from the corners of the square were used to incorporate siRNA, ribozyme, and fluorogenic RNA motifs. Unique intramolecular contact using the pre-existing intricacy of the 3WJ avoids relatively weaker intermolecular interactions via kissing loops or sticky ends. Utilizing the 3WJ motif, we have employed a modular design technique to construct variable-size RNA squares with controllable properties and functionalities for diverse and versatile applications with engineering, pharmaceutical, and medical potential. This technique for simple design to finely tune physicochemical properties adds a new angle to RNA nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Jasinski
- Nanobiotechnology Center, Markey Cancer Center, and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Emil F. Khisamutdinov
- Nanobiotechnology Center, Markey Cancer Center, and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Yuri L. Lyubchenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Peixuan Guo
- Nanobiotechnology Center, Markey Cancer Center, and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Address correspondence to
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8
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Khisamutdinov EF, Jasinski DL, Guo P. RNA as a boiling-resistant anionic polymer material to build robust structures with defined shape and stoichiometry. ACS Nano 2014; 8:4771-81. [PMID: 24694194 PMCID: PMC4046798 DOI: 10.1021/nn5006254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
RNA is a polyribonucleic acid belonging to a special class of anionic polymers, holding a unique property of self-assembly that is controllable in the construction of structures with defined size, shape, and stoichiometry. We report here the use of RNA as polymers to fabricate boiling-resistant triangular nanoscaffolds, which were used to construct hexagons and patterned hexagonal arrays. The RNA triangular scaffolds demonstrated promising potential to construct fluorogenic probes and therapeutic agents as functionalization with siRNA, ribozyme, folate, and fluorogenic RNA aptamers revealed independent functional activity of each RNA moiety. The ribozyme was able to cleave hepatitis genomic RNA fragments, the siRNA silenced the target genes, and all fluorogenic RNA aptamers retained their fluorescence emission property. The creation of boiling-temperature-resistant RNA nanoparticles opens a new dimension of RNA as a special polymer, feasible in industrial and nanotechnological applications.
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9
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Afonin KA, Kireeva M, Grabow WW, Kashlev M, Jaeger L, Shapiro BA. Co-transcriptional assembly of chemically modified RNA nanoparticles functionalized with siRNAs. Nano Lett 2012; 12:5192-5. [PMID: 23016824 PMCID: PMC3498980 DOI: 10.1021/nl302302e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
We report a generalized methodology for the one-pot production of chemically modified functional RNA nanoparticles during in vitro transcription with T7 RNA polymerase. The efficiency of incorporation of 2'-fluoro-dNTP in the transcripts by the wild type T7 RNA polymerase dramatically increases in the presence of manganese ions, resulting in a high-yield production of chemically modified RNA nanoparticles functionalized with siRNAs that are resistant to nucleases from human blood serum. Moreover, the unpurified transcription mixture can be used for functional ex vivo pilot experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill A. Afonin
- Computational RNA Structure Group, Center for Cancer Research Nanobiology Program, NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Maria Kireeva
- Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Wade W. Grabow
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States
| | - Mikhail Kashlev
- Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Luc Jaeger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States
- Bio-Molecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, United States
- Corresponding Author: (B.A.S.) Phone 301-846-5536. Fax 301-846-5598. . (L.J.) Phone 805-893-3628. Fax 805-893-4120.
| | - Bruce A. Shapiro
- Computational RNA Structure Group, Center for Cancer Research Nanobiology Program, NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Corresponding Author: (B.A.S.) Phone 301-846-5536. Fax 301-846-5598. . (L.J.) Phone 805-893-3628. Fax 805-893-4120.
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10
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Haque F, Shu D, Shu Y, Shlyakhtenko LS, Rychahou PG, Evers BM, Guo P. Ultrastable synergistic tetravalent RNA nanoparticles for targeting to cancers. Nano Today 2012; 7:245-257. [PMID: 23024702 PMCID: PMC3458310 DOI: 10.1016/j.nantod.2012.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
One of the advantages of nanotechnology is the feasibility to construct therapeutic particles carrying multiple therapeutics with defined structure and stoichiometry. The field of RNA nanotechnology is emerging. However, controlled assembly of stable RNA nanoparticles with multiple functionalities which retain their original role is challenging due to refolding after fusion. Herein, we report the construction of thermodynamically stable X-shaped RNA nanoparticles to carry four therapeutic RNA motifs by self-assembly of reengineered small RNA fragments. We proved that each arm of the four helices in the X-motif can harbor one siRNA, ribozyme, or aptamer without affecting the folding of the central pRNA-X core, and each daughter RNA molecule within the nanoparticle folds into their respective authentic structures and retains their biological and structural function independently. Gene silencing effects were progressively enhanced as the number of the siRNA in each pRNA-X nanoparticles gradually increased from one to two, three, and four. More importantly, systemic injection of ligand-containing nanoparticles into the tail-vein of mice revealed that the RNA nanoparticles remained intact and strongly bound to cancers without entering the liver, lung or any other organs or tissues, while remaining in cancer tissue for more than 8 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzin Haque
- Nanobiotechnology Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - Dan Shu
- Nanobiotechnology Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - Yi Shu
- Nanobiotechnology Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - Luda S. Shlyakhtenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, United States
| | - Piotr G. Rychahou
- Markey Cancer Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - B. Mark Evers
- Markey Cancer Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
| | - Peixuan Guo
- Nanobiotechnology Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
- Markey Cancer Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States
- Corresponding author at: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 789 S. Limestone Avenue, Room # 565, Lexington, KY 40536-0596, United States. Tel.: +1 859 218 0128; fax: +1 859 257 1307. , (P. Guo)
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Guo P, Coban O, Snead NM, Trebley J, Hoeprich S, Guo S, Shu Y. Engineering RNA for targeted siRNA delivery and medical application. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2010; 62:650-66. [PMID: 20230868 PMCID: PMC2906696 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2010.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2009] [Accepted: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
RNA engineering for nanotechnology and medical applications is an exciting emerging research field. RNA has intrinsically defined features on the nanometre scale and is a particularly interesting candidate for such applications due to its amazing diversity, flexibility and versatility in structure and function. Specifically, the current use of siRNA to silence target genes involved in disease has generated much excitement in the scientific community. The intrinsic ability to sequence-specifically downregulate gene expression in a temporally- and spatially controlled fashion has led to heightened interest and rapid development of siRNA-based therapeutics. Although methods for gene silencing have been achieved with high efficacy and specificity in vitro, the effective delivery of nucleic acids to specific cells in vivo has been a hurdle for RNA therapeutics. This article covers different RNA-based approaches for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of human disease, with a focus on the latest developments of non-viral carriers of siRNA for delivery in vivo. The applications and challenges of siRNA therapy, as well as potential solutions to these problems, the approaches for using phi29 pRNA-based vectors as polyvalent vehicles for specific delivery of siRNA, ribozymes, drugs or other therapeutic agents to specific cells for therapy will also be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peixuan Guo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering/College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
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